Nightclub stabbing raises issue of police staffing levels

Monday

Mar 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 31, 2008 at 9:54 AM

Only four officers were on patrol early Sunday morning when a 28-year-old man was stabbed inside a North Main Street nightclub. It marked the third time this year officers from other communities have been called in to assist with disturbances in Randolph.

Fred Hanson

A stabbing early Sunday morning in a North Main Street nightclub is just another example of inadequate police staffing, the head of the patrol officers union said.

Officers from four other communities and the State Police were called in after the 1:50 a.m. Sunday incident at the Vault Room, 326 N. Main St.

Police Chief Paul Porter said a fight broke out inside the club as it was closing for the night. The victim, Plinio Rodrigues, 28, of 33 Highland Ave., Randolph was stabbed twice, once in the arm and once in the abdomen, Porter said.

He was taken by fire department ambulance to Brockton Hospital, where he underwent surgery early Sunday morning, Porter said.

Rodrigues condition was unavailable Sunday night.

Porter said about 200 people were inside the club at the time of the fight. Two police officers were working details paid by the club.

“We have some suspects, but no arrests,” the chief said.

The pocket knife used in the stabbing was recovered by police, Porter said.

State Police, along with officers from the Avon, Braintree, Holbrook and Milton departments, provided mutual aid at the scene, Porter said.

It’s at least the third weekend this year that the police have called in officers from other departments to help restore order following disturbances. On one of those occasions, additional officers were called in three times in four hours for disturbances, including one at the Vault Room.

Edmund Corbett, president of the Randolph Police Patrolman’s Union, said only three officers and a patrol supervisor was on duty at the time of the stabbing. He said he thinks having three or four officers on the streets is inadequate, especially on the weekends, when people are drawn to the Showcase Cinemas, nightclubs, function centers and bars.”

“Public safety has been placed on the back burner for far too long in Randolph,” said Corbett. “For people to think or believe there are not serious problems in this community, they are sadly mistaken.

Corbett gave Porter a letter on Tuesday which said the inadequate staffing of the police department “is placing officers into very dangerous and compromising positions where the odds are greatly stacked against them.

“The bottom line is that our front line has been cut too thin,” Corbett wrote. “The chances of serious adverse consequences has grown too great. Thankfully, there have been no life-threatening injuries for us to this point. But how many times should we risk rolling the dice? To us, this is simply unacceptable.”

Porter said his is in “total agreement” with Corbett's comments.

“I feel we should have four patrol officers and a patrol supervisor” on the streets at all times,” Porter said. “But I do not have the officers to do that.”

Porter said he is running a deficit of between $180,000 and $185,000 in his current budget, and may have to ask town meeting for additional funds in May.

The Randolph Police Department now has 47 officers, with six unfilled positions. Selectmen last week approved the hiring of two officers, but they will not start working until April 20.

Voters at Tuesday’s town election will be asked to approve a $411,322 Proposition 2½ override for the hiring of six additional police officers, which would bring the number of positions to 59.

Porter said national and regional standards of a community of Randolph’s size call for a police department of at least 61 officers.